The convenience food sector is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by evolving consumer preferences and technological innovations in home cooking appliances. Recent market data reveals a fascinating divergence between traditional instant foods and emerging frozen categories, with cooking technology playing a pivotal role in reshaping consumption patterns.

Market Overview: The Frozen Food Advantage 

In the second quarter of 2025, frozen foods emerged as the standout performer in the food and beverage category, achieving over 1% sales growth year-on-year while other segments declined. This growth was particularly driven by hotpot ball products and frozen sausages, which led the category expansion. The contrasting performance between frozen foods and instant noodles highlights a fundamental shift in consumer behavior toward higher-quality, versatile food options that leverage modern kitchen technologies.

The Air Fryer Effect: Transforming Frozen Food Consumption 

The remarkable growth in frozen sausages and pizzas finds its roots in the widespread adoption of advanced cooking appliances. Over the past five years, Chinese households have purchased over 100 million air fryers, creating a massive infrastructure for convenient, high-quality home cooking. This technological foundation has enabled the surge in frozen sausage sales, which recorded an impressive 30% year-on-year growth in Q2 2025 and now account for over 5% of the entire sausage category.

The impact of cooking technology extends beyond mere convenience. Air fryers have fundamentally changed product design parameters, with products under 250 grams (approximately 7 inches in diameter) dominating over 80% of the frozen pizza market. These smaller formats specifically cater to air fryer compatibility and have demonstrated significantly faster growth rates compared to traditional oven-sized alternatives.

Price Dynamics and Consumer Value Perception 

Market pricing data reveals intriguing patterns in consumer behavior. The instant noodle category has seen prices rise above the baseline index level since August 2024, eventually pulling the entire instant food category into positive price growth territory by October 2024. In contrast, frozen sausages and pizzas have maintained price levels below the baseline index, indicating ongoing price optimization despite their sales growth.

This pricing strategy appears to be driving market penetration, with the most significant sales growth occurring in the 10-15 yuan price bracket for frozen pizzas. The affordability of these products, combined with their compatibility with modern kitchen technology, creates a compelling value proposition for cost-conscious consumers seeking restaurant-quality meals at home.

Regional Flavors Driving Instant Noodle Innovation 

While the instant noodle category faced overall challenges, regional flavors emerged as a bright spot, now accounting for nearly 18% of the category with a 1.6% year-on-year increase. Korean fire noodle flavors dominate this segment, representing almost half of all regional flavor sales—double the volume of Japanese tonkotsu flavor. Anhui board noodles have secured the third position, demonstrating the enduring appeal of authentic regional tastes in convenient formats.

Product Innovation as a Growth Driver 

The frozen food sector's success stories share a common thread: continuous innovation. Companies leading in categories like frozen dumplings and rice balls have demonstrated the power of product evolution and creative partnerships. Success in this competitive landscape requires not just quality products but also imaginative approaches to flavor development, packaging design, and cross-category inspiration.

The convergence of cooking technology and food formulation has created new opportunities for frozen food manufacturers. Products specifically engineered for air fryer preparation demonstrate superior performance characteristics that drive repeat purchases and brand loyalty. This synergy between kitchen technology and food science represents one of the most promising avenues for future growth in the convenience food sector.

These transformative trends in food technology and consumer behavior will be central topics at the upcoming Asia Food Exhibition, where industry leaders will explore how technological innovation is reshaping product development, manufacturing processes, and consumption patterns across the global food industry.

Source: data.eastmoney.com

If there is infringement, please contact delete.